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Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 06/26/25

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Hawaiian word pō refers to a primal darkness from which all life flows. It’s not a fearsome void but a fertile mystery, rich with future possibilities and the ancestors’ hopes. In the coming weeks, I invite you to treat your inner life as pō. Be as calm and patient and watchful as an Aries can be as you monitor the inklings that rise up out of the deep shadows. Have faith that the cloudy uncertainty will ultimately evolve into clarity, revealing the precise directions you need.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the 17th century, the Taurus polymath Athanasius Kircher constructed a fantastical machine called the Aeolian harp. It wasn’t designed to be played by human fingers but by the wind. It conjured music with currents invisible to the eye. I nominate this sublime contraption as your power object for the coming weeks, Taurus. The most beautiful and healing melodies may come from positioning yourself so that inspiration can blow through. How might you attune yourself to the arrival of unexpected help and gifts? Set aside any tendency you might have to try too hard. Instead, allow life to sing through you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The painter Vincent van Gogh wrote, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” That’s good advice for you right now. Your ambitions may feel daunting if you imagine them as monumental and monolithic. But if you simply focus on what needs to be done next — the daily efforts, the incremental improvements — you will be as relaxed as you need to be to accomplish wonders. Remember that masterpieces are rarely completed in a jiffy. The cumulative power of steady work is potentially your superpower. Here’s another crucial tip: Use your imagination to have fun as you attend to the details.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Welcome to a special edition of “What’s My Strongest Yearning?” I’m your host, Rob Brezsny, and I’m delighted you have decided to identify the single desire that motivates you more than any other. Yes, you have many wishes and hopes and dreams, but one is more crucial than all the rest! Right? To begin the exercise, take three deep breaths and allow every knot of tension to dissolve and exit your beautiful body. Then drop down into the primal depths of your miraculous soul and wander around until you detect the shimmering presence of the beloved reason you came here to this planet. Immerse yourself in this glory for as long as you need to. Exult in its mysterious power to give meaning to everything you do. Ask it to nurture you, console you, and inspire you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In certain medieval maps, unexplored territories were marked with the Latin phrase hic sunt dracones — “here be dragons.” It was a warning and a dare, a declaration that no one knew what lay beyond. In the coming weeks, Leo, you may find yourself traveling into one of those unlabeled regions. Rather than flinching or dodging, I invite you to press forward with respectful curiosity. Some of the so-called dragons will be figments. Others are protectors of treasure and might be receptive to sharing with a bright light like you. Either way, productive adventures are awaiting you in that unmapped territory. Go carefully — but go.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In traditional Japanese carpentry, joints are made so skillfully that they need no nails, screws, or adhesives. Carpenters use intricate joinery techniques to connect pieces of wood so tightly that the structures are strong and durable. They often require a mallet for assembly and disassembly. In metaphorical terms, you are capable of that kind of craftsmanship these days, Virgo. I hope you will take advantage of this by building lasting beauty and truth that will serve you well into the future. Don’t rush the joinery. If it’s not working, don’t force it. Re-cut, re-measure, breathe deeply, and try again.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Here’s one of my unruly rules about human competence: In every professional field, from physicians to lawyers to psychics to teachers, about 15 percent of all the practitioners are downright mediocre, even deficient. Seventy-five percent are at least satisfactory and sometimes good. And 10 percent of the total are surpassingly excellent, providing an extraordinary service. With this in mind, I’m happy to say that you now have a knack for gravitating toward that exceptional 10 percent in every domain you are drawn to. I predict that your intuition will consistently guide you toward premium sources.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku means “forest bathing.” It invites people to immerse themselves in the natural world, drawing on its restorative power. In accordance with astrological portents, I urge you Scorpios to maximize your forest bathing. To amplify the enrichment further, gravitate toward other environments that nourish your soul’s need for solace and uplift. The naked fact is that you need places and influences that offer you comfort, safety, and tender inspiration. Don’t apologize for making your life a bit less heroic as you tend to your inner world with gentle reverence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The camera obscura was a precursor to modern cameras. It projected the outside world upside down onto interior walls. Artists loved it because it helped them see reality from new angles. I hereby proclaim that you, Sagittarius, will be like both the artist and the camera obscura lens in the coming weeks. Your perceptions may feel inverted, strange, even disorienting, but that’s a gift! So let unfamiliarity be your muse. Flip your assumptions. Sketch from shadow instead of light. Have faith that the truth isn’t vanishing or hiding; it’s simply appearing in unfamiliar guises. Don’t rush to turn right-side-up things. Relish and learn from the tilt.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m sure you enjoy gazing into some mirrors more than others. It’s amazing how different you might look in your bathroom mirror and the mirror in the restroom at work. Some store windows may reflect an elegant, attractive version of you, while others distort your image. A similar principle is at work in the people with whom you associate. Some seem to accentuate your finest attributes, while others bring out less flattering aspects. I bring this to your attention, dear Capricorn, because I believe it will be extra important in the coming weeks for you to surround yourself with your favorite mirrors.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Leonardo da Vinci filled thousands of pages with sketches, notes, and experiments. He never finished many of them. He called this compilation his “codex of wonder.” It wasn’t a record of failures. It was an appreciation of his complex process and a way to honor his creative wellspring. Taking a cue from da Vinci’s love of marvelous enigmas, I invite you to be in love with the unfinished in the coming weeks. Make inquisitiveness your default position. Reconsider abandoned ideas. Be a steward of fertile fragments. Some of your best work may arise from revisiting composted dreams or incomplete sketches. Here’s your motto: Magic brews in the margins.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the remote Atacama Desert of Chile, certain flowers lie dormant for years, awaiting just the right conditions to burst into blossom in a sudden, riotous explosion of color and vitality. Scientists call it a superbloom. Metaphorically speaking, Pisces, you are on the verge of such a threshold. I’m sure you can already feel the inner ripening as it gathers momentum. Any day now, your full flowering will erupt — softly but dramatically. You won’t need to push. You will simply open. To prepare yourself emotionally, start rehearsing lively shouts of “HALLELUJAH! HOORAY! WHOOPEE!” 

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 06/26/25

Trouble Brewing

ChatGPT can perform many impressive tasks — sometimes with amusing results — but it may need to stay out of tasseography. Greek City Times reported on April 26 that a Greek woman recently filed for divorce from her husband after the OpenAI chatbot asserted that the man was having an affair and that his mistress was intent on destroying their home, a conclusion the bot came to upon “reading” the coffee grounds in the couple’s mugs in a photo the woman uploaded to the app. “I laughed it off as nonsense,” the husband said, “but she took it seriously. She asked me to leave, told our kids we were getting divorced, and then I got a call from a lawyer. That’s when I realized this wasn’t just a phase.” The husband’s lawyer maintains that ChatGPT’s claims have no legal standing. 

[Greek City Times, 4/26/25]

Wait, What?

Turkmenistan’s top tourist attraction is the Gateway to Hell, a huge gas leak that has been burning since 1971 in the Karakum Desert, Yahoo! News reported on June 5. The fire started when Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and then ignited it, starting a blaze that could be seen from several kilometers away. Officials announced this week that the fire has been reduced three-fold. “Today only a faint source of combustion remains,” said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Türkmengaz. Wells have been drilled around the site to capture the methane from the leak, she said. 

[Yahoo! News, 6/5/2025]

Great Art

Amsterdam has out-Amsterdammed itself with a new exhibit at the Rijksmuseum, the Associated Press reported on June 3. As part of an exhibition called “Safe Sex?” the museum is displaying a condom from 1830 that is enhanced with erotic art. The prophylactic is made from a sheep’s appendix and, the museum says, “depicts both the playful and the serious side of sexual health” with its image of a nun and three clergymen. The phrase “This is my choice” is written in French along its length, which may refer to the Renoir painting The Judgment of Paris. Historians believe the condom might be a souvenir from a brothel. You can see it until the end of November. 

[AP, 6/2/2025]

Saw That Coming

After performers debuted Westphalia Side Story on Paterborn Cathedral’s altar in Berlin, Germany, on May 15, more than 22,000 people signed a petition demanding that the archbishop apologize and reconsecrate the cathedral. The Associated Press reported that the production included a song and dance which featured two shirtless men and one woman displaying raw, plucked chickens wearing diapers while singing “Fleish ist Fleish” (“Meat is Meat”). The song was part of a larger production celebrating the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia, Germany, a region in the country’s northwest. The finished show will premiere in September. 

[AP, 5/30/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

Richard Pruneda, 42, of Edinburg, Texas, managed to get himself arrested twice over the Memorial Day holiday in Eddyville, Kentucky, the West Kentucky Star reported. The Lyon County Sheriff was called on May 25 to a business where Pruneda was allegedly intoxicated and making “alarming” statements to an employee. The next day, after bonding out of jail, Pruneda called the sheriff’s office to ask about retrieving personal items from his impounded car. When the officer picked up and inventoried the items, he found cocaine in the trunk. Eddyville Police assisted as they went to Pruneda’s motel and arrested him for a second time. 

[West Kentucky Star, 6/3/2025]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

© 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

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Fun Stuff Metaphysical Connection

Metaphysical Connection: Memphis’ Ties to Ancient Egypt

Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg | www.vascoplanet.com | creative commons | Wikimedia Commons

Memphis was founded on May 22, 1819, by a group of investors that included John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1826. The investors named it after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River, seizing the opportunity to one-up the founders of the newly formed Cairo, Illinois. Memphis was so named in hopes of it one day being the seat of great kings, like its river-adjacent namesake. 

Memphis, Egypt, no longer exists as the bustling capital it used to be. Now it is a set of archeological sites practically in the suburbs of Cairo, sitting at the head of the Nile River Delta. The Nile is the only reason civilization exists in Egypt, so its Memphis was strategically placed on the great waterway. Being at the river delta, Memphis was a hub for commerce and trade. 

Egypt’s Memphis was the residence of pharaohs and the capital city from the beginning of the dynastic period (approximately 3000 B.C.E.) through the end of the Old Kingdom period and into the First Intermediate Period (approximately 2181 B.C.E.). Even after the capital shifted to other locations, such as Thebes, Memphis remained an important place and religious center. Its temples were among the most important in the country. During the New Kingdom period (approximately 1550 to 1070 B.C.E.), Memphis most likely functioned as the second capital of Egypt. At one time it seems to have been the principal residence of the crown prince, and at least three well-known pharaohs were born there. 

Memphis was always one of the most populous and renowned places in Egypt, inhabited by a cosmopolitan community. Its port and local workshops played an important role in Egyptian foreign trade. A reflection of the magnitude and importance of Memphis is the extension of its cemeteries, more than 30 kilometers in length, on the edge of the desert and the western bank of the Nile. 

Memphis, Tennessee, our home, sits on the Chickasaw Bluff along the banks of Ol’ Man River. Tennessee’s Memphis is located on the edge of the Mississippi River Delta, although not technically a part of the local river delta like Egypt’s Memphis was. It would be 13 years until its first church was constructed. In 1832, a group of Methodists built a modest meeting house for their congregation. It was the first religious building in the city and still stands today as the First United Methodist Church. Our Memphis has followed in the religious footsteps of its namesake, becoming a hub of religion that has helped shape the country. 

Tennessee’s Memphis is also a hub of commerce and trade thanks to our location on the Mississippi River. Memphis has evolved from a storied river port into a dynamic transit hub, seamlessly integrating rail and air logistics, with FedEx at the heart of its global connectivity. Once defined by the Mississippi’s currents, the city now channels commerce across highways, railways, and the skies, solidifying its role as a pivotal nexus in modern trade.

Over the years, Memphis, Tennessee, has paid tribute to its namesake through architecture. Memphis’ oldest known Egyptian tribute is the Ballard & Ballard Obelisk Flour building Downtown, dating back to 1924. The building is filled with Egyptian Revival elements — obelisks, unintelligible hieroglyphics, and three arched entrances resembling those of ancient temples.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Memphis, Tennessee, underwent a small Egyptian revival. In 1991, the city built its own pyramid. Initially, the Pyramid was built as an event center, hosting concerts, sporting events, and other attractions (remember the “Wonders” exhibits?). Then there is the Memphis Zoo, with its full facade of Egyptian tribute, built to reflect the shape of ancient Egyptian monuments. 

I cherish both Memphis, Tennessee, and Memphis, Egypt — each a testament to the enduring spirit of civilization. As a proud Memphian, I appreciate the historical homage woven into my hometown. Take a drive through the Bluff City and see if you can spot its Egyptian revival echoes. 

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

Categories
Food & Drink Fun Stuff

A Breakfast Legacy: Brother Juniper’s

One of Brother Juniper’s delicious breakfasts (Photo: Brother Juniper’s | Facebook)

Brother Juniper’s has been voted “Best Breakfast” by Memphis Flyer readers for more than 20 years. The classic breakfast joint on the Highland Strip serves famously delicious and large portions of original family recipes dating back over 50 years. 

“It’s an honor to win,” says owner Sarah Elliott. “We keep trying to put out the best food that we can with high-quality ingredients.” 

We talked over a plate of one of her favorite meals: a potato dish with bacon, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, green onions, sour cream, and an over-easy egg. I pierced the egg and watched the golden yolk coat the smoked bacon and roasted potatoes. “We get our eggs from an Amish farm. … They have the bright orange yolk … and we serve it with love.”  

Brother Juniper was an Italian monk who cooked for St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. Brother Juniper’s restaurants, a product of a missionary-outreach program, began opening across the country in the 1960s. The last remaining location is right here in Memphis. Elliott’s parents, Jonathan and Pauline Koplin, bought the restaurant when she was 12, and she’s been working there ever since. Elliott recently purchased the restaurant, making her the new official owner. She says her family has been helping her with the transition. “It’s stressful, but I’m so excited. I’ve grown up here and know all of the ins and outs.” 

Brother Juniper’s first Best of Memphis win was in 1999, the same year Elliot’s parents took over Brother Juniper’s College Inn in Memphis. Since then, they’ve added merchandise, hot sauces, jellies, catering, and most importantly, new and creative menu items. “There were about five omelets on the menu back then, now there are 15,” says Elliott. She’s the brains behind one of their most ordered dishes: the cinnamon roll pancakes. “Not to brag, but they’re really popular,” she says. The dish includes two massive pancakes with cinnamon sugar swirls and cream cheese icing. They also added a coffee bar in 2010, which serves classic espressos, lattes, and more. “Some people come in just for a cup of coffee or to-go drinks, and we had to keep up with the hipster coffee spots,” says Elliott. 

Many of the menu items come from Elliott’s family. “A lot of it was my dad, Jonathan. My grandmother was such a good cook that he learned most of it from her.” Besides the Koplin family’s contributions, other recipes originated from previous Brother Juniper’s owners across the country. The familial contributions are what take their dishes to the next level. 

Besides serving the best breakfast in Memphis for over 20 years, Brother Juniper’s also serves Memphis citizens and nonprofits. Local artists’ vibrant paintings add pops of color to the walls by the coffee bar. Elliott mentions Lindy Tate, a frequent customer who’s had art on the walls “forever.” Beyond that, they promote and support different nonprofit organizations each month on their “Community Spotlight” bulletin board. There’s a tip jar by the entrance for cash donations and information about each organization. Brother Juniper’s also welcomes all Memphians to a free Christmas dinner every Christmas Eve. To Elliott, these parts of her business are nonnegotiable. “We want to be more than a restaurant.” 

While my fork scraped the bottom of my plate, Elliott painted the scene of a typical Sunday morning at Brother Juniper’s. “There’s a crowd waiting outside the doors. … The dining room fills up, and people start running around like chickens with their heads cut off.” They’ll serve hundreds of customers in the 10.5 hours they’re open on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant runs with an all-hands-on-deck team effort, says Elliott. She’ll wait tables if they’re short-staffed, run food, take coffee orders, greet arriving guests, and even step into the kitchen to help cook. She mentions Brother Juniper’s feature on Rachael Ray’s show, $40 a Day. “She kind of put us on the map for nationwide attention. That helped us blow up a bit.”

As Elliott takes the reins, she’s preparing to pass on the same traditions to her own children. “I have two little kids who will grow up here, and they already help me out. It’s great to keep the legacy.” 

Categories
Fun Stuff Sports

Geoff Calkins: From NY to BOM 

Geoff Calkins (Photo: Houston Cofield | Daily Memphian)

Geoff Calkins, the well-known sports columnist, is not a Memphis native. Shocker, right? He was actually born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in the small town of Hamburg. By the age of 12, Calkins discovered his love for sports. 

“I think a lot of people who love sports fell in love with it as a kid. And so, it still connects me to the 12-year-old boy who fell in love with the Buffalo Bills once upon a time,” says Calkins. Because of his love for sports, he would immediately flip to and read the sports section in the The Buffalo News. He always said to himself that he wanted to be just like the guy in the newspaper who wrote sports stories. 

Calkins attended Harvard University and was the editor-in-chief for The Harvard Independent. He even worked for the Miami Herald. One would think Calkins would jump straight into the career of journalism, but he began to feel his dream of becoming a sports journalist was a little far-fetched. Instead, he decided to enroll in law school at Harvard and became a lawyer. Shortly thereafter, he ran into a huge problem with the job: He absolutely hated it. “I worked at a big 500-lawyer law firm. And I just didn’t care who won, who lost. I wasn’t invested in the result. The process itself bored the hell out of me,” Calkins says. “So, I thought, what would I rather do? I’d rather be telling stories.”

And telling stories is what Calkins has been doing since moving to Memphis in 1996. He started his career as a sports columnist at The Commercial Appeal and worked there until 2018, the same year the Daily Memphian was founded. Today, Calkins works for the Daily Memphian as a sports columnist and hosts his podcast, The Geoff Calkins Show. Throughout his career, Calkins has received several awards commemorating his hard work, including the Gary Lundy Sports Writer of the Year award and five Green Eyeshade awards (the nation’s oldest contest that recognizes the best journalists in the Southeastern region). Calkins was even named best columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press.

With the many awards he has received on a national level, it’s no surprise Calkins is a perennial winner here in Memphis with the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis awards. “I really feel like Memphis has become [a] home for me. It feels like I’m the Huey’s hamburger of journalists,” Calkins says. But what’s his secret? How has he been able to keep the title of best sports columnist for years doing what he loves? It’s quite simple actually: dedication and never deserting the community that has always believed in and valued his work. “Well, first, there’s a lot of other wonderful journalists in Memphis, and there have been over the course of my career working for all kinds of publications,” Calkins says. “But the main thing is, I try to connect with the city; that’s sort of the job — to connect with readers in the city.”

Aside from connecting with readers, Calkins stresses the importance of impact as well. Even though writing stories related to sports is Calkins’ expertise, he believes his work impacts Memphis tremendously. “Whatever our jobs call upon us to do, we all should try to have an impact in some way to try to elevate [Memphis]. [People] begin to trust what you say. They begin to understand where you’re coming from,” says Calkins. “And only then can you have an impact on people — by proving, day in and day out, that you’re putting in the work, such that your words are to be taken seriously.” 

And making an impact on the Memphis community is what Calkins will continue to do for years to come. “For Memphis to vote me as their favorite journalist for all these years suggests that maybe I’ve been able to contribute something to a place that has been so important to me,” says Calkins. “I’m honored.” 

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 06/19/25

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries writer Joseph Campbell was a world-renowned mythologist. His theories about the classic hero archetype have inspired many writers and filmmakers, including Star Wars creator George Lucas. As a young man, Campbell crafted the blueprint for his influential work during a five-year period when he lived in a rustic shack and read books for nine hours a day. He was supremely dedicated and focused. I recommend that you consider a similar foundation-building project, Aries. The coming months will be an excellent time for you to establish the groundwork for whatever it is you want to do for the rest of your long life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In Japan, komorebi refers to the dappled sunlight that streams through tree leaves. It names a subtle, ephemeral beauty that busy people might be oblivious to. Not you, I hope, Taurus! In the coming weeks, I invite you to draw on komorebi as an inspirational metaphor. Tune in to the soft illumination glimmering in the background. Be alert for flickers and flashes that reveal useful clues. Trust in the indirect path, the sideways glance, the half-remembered dream, and the overheard conversation. Anything blatant and loud is probably not relevant to your interests. PS: Be keen to notice what’s not being said.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In Finnish folklore, the Sampo is a magic artifact that generates unending wealth and good fortune. Here’s the catch: It can’t be hoarded. Its power only works when shared, passed around, or made communal. I believe you are close to acquiring a less potent but still wonderful equivalent of a Sampo, Gemini. It may be an idea, a project, or a way of living that radiates generosity and sustainable joy. But remember that it doesn’t thrive in isolation. It’s not a treasure to be stored up and saved for later. Share the wealth.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Tides don’t ask for permission. They ebb and flow in accordance with an ancient gravitational intelligence that obeys its own elegant laws. Entire ecosystems rely on their steady cyclical rhythms. You, too, harbor tidal forces, Cancerian. They are partially synced up with the earth’s rivers, lakes, and seas, and are partially under the sway of your deep emotional power. It’s always crucial for you to be intimately aware of your tides’ flows and patterns, but even more than usual right now. I hope you will trust their timing and harness their tremendous energy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Some jewelers practice an ancient Korean art called keum-boo, in which they fuse pure gold to silver by heat and pressure. The result is gold that seems to bloom from within silver’s body, not just be juxtaposed on top of it. Let’s make this your metaphor for the coming weeks, Leo. I believe you will have the skill to blend two beautiful and valuable things into an asset that has the beauty and value of both — plus an extra added synergy of valuable beauty. The only problem that could possibly derail your unprecedented accomplishment might be your worry that you don’t have the power to do that. Expunge that worry, please.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some Indigenous cultures keep track of time not by clocks but by natural events: “the moon when the salmon return,” “the season when shadows shorten,” “the return of the rain birds.” I encourage you to try that approach, Virgo. Your customary rigor will benefit from blending with an influx of more intuitive choices. You will be wise to explore the joys of organic timing. So just for now, I invite you to tune out the relentless tick-tock. Listen instead for the hush before a threshold cracks open. Meditate on the ancient Greek concept of kairos: the prime moment to act or a potential turning point that’s ripe for activation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Botanists speak of “serotiny,” a plant’s ability to delay seed release until the environment is just right. Some pinecones, for instance, only open after a fire. What part of you has been patiently waiting, Libra? What latent brilliance has not been ready to emerge until now? The coming weeks will offer catalytic conditions — perhaps heat, perhaps disruption, perhaps joy — that will be exactly what’s needed to unleash the fertile potency. Have faith that your seeds will draw on their own wild intelligence.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): One of your superpowers is your skill at detecting what’s unfolding beneath the surfaces. It’s almost like you have X-ray vision. Your ability to detect hidden agendas, buried secrets, and underground growth is profound. But in the coming weeks, I urge you to redirect your attention. You will generate good fortune for yourself if you turn your gaze to what lies at the horizon and just beyond. Can you sense the possibilities percolating at the edges of your known world? Can you sync up your intuitions with the future’s promises? Educated guesses will be indistinguishable from true prophecies.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarius-born Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) got a degree in law and economics and began a career teaching those subjects at the university level. But at age 30, he had a conversion experience. It was triggered when he saw a thrilling exhibit of French Impressionist painters and heard an enthralling opera by Richard Wagner. Soon he flung himself into a study of art, embarking on an influential career that spanned decades. I am predicting that you will encounter inspirations of that caliber, Sagittarius. They may not motivate you as drastically as Kandinsky’s provocations, but they could revitalize your life forever.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The ancient Egyptians revered the River Nile’s annual flooding, which brought both disruption and renewal. It washed away old plant matter and debris and deposited fertile silt that nourished new growth. In the coming weeks, Capricorn, I suspect you will experience a metaphorical flood: a surge of new ideas, opportunities, and feelings that temporarily unsettle your routines. Rather than focusing on the inconvenience, I suggest you celebrate the richness this influx will bring. The flow will ultimately uplift you, even if it seems messy at first.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Medieval stonemasons worked not just in service to the immediate structures they made. They imagined eternity, laying foundation blocks in cathedrals they knew they would never live to see completed. I think you are being invited to do similar work: soulful construction whose fruits may not ripen for a while. A provocative conversation you have soon may echo for years. A good habit you instill could become a key inheritance for your older self. So think long, wide, and slow, dear Aquarius. Not everything must produce visible worth this season. Your prime offerings may be seeds for the future. Attend to them with reverence.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the frigid parts of planet Earth, some glaciers sing. As they shift and crack and melt, they emit tones: groans, pulses, crackles, and whooshes. I believe your soul will have a similar inclination in the coming weeks, Pisces: to express mysterious music as it shifts and thaws. Some old logjam or stuck place is breaking open within you, and that’s a very good thing. Don’t ignore or neglect this momentous offering. And don’t try to translate it into logical words too quickly. What story does your trembling tell? Let the deep, restless movements of your psyche resound. 

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 06/19/25

You Again?

Rescues are not uncommon on Mount Fuji, but one climber may have used up all the good will of the Shizuoka prefectural police, who were called to save the man near the mountain’s peak twice in a span of four days. The imprudent adventurer, a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan, began suffering from altitude sickness and was airlifted to safety after calling authorities on April 22; the Associated Press reported that he returned to the mountain on April 26 “to look for his cellphone and other belongings left behind,” according to police. When another climber found him suffering altitude sickness and unable to move, authorities were called in to rescue him once again. There is no penalty for climbing Mount Fuji during the offseason, and no charge associated with being rescued — even twice in the same week. [The Associated Press, 4/28/2025]

Lay Off Me, I’m Starving

Anyone familiar with A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories knows bears love honey and will go to great lengths for the sweet stuff. So it’s not exactly surprising that Jeff Bonner of Bazetta, Ohio, recently caught a bear on the motion-activated cameras he had set up to protect his apiary. What was surprising, Bonner told WFMJ-TV, was what little remained in the aftermath of the bear’s late-night snack attack. “He ate the frame, the wax that was there, and the bees,” Bonner said. “He literally ate a whole hive of bees.” Bonner estimated the hive had held some 10,000-50,000 bees. He expects the bear to return to the newly found food source, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources recommended that he increase the apiary’s security with more cameras and an electric fence. [WFMJ-TV, 5/8/2025]

That’s a First

Team members at New Zealand’s department of conservation recently bore witness for the first time ever to the egg-laying process of Powelliphanta augusta, a large, carnivorous, hermaphrodite snail that mates and lays eggs through a hole in its neck. Ingrid Gruner, the department’s regional biodiversity liaison, told The Guardian that the team had “struck lucky” when video taken during a routine weight check of one of the snails captured the moment the small white egg emerged. “In all the years we’ve been doing that [work], we’ve never encountered it,” Gruner said. The snails are a threatened species, and the department has been caring for several thousand snails and eggs since 2006, when Solid Energy coal mining began an operation in the snails’ sole habitat. [The Guardian, 5/7/2025]

She Has the High Ground

A judge in London, England, recently awarded Lorna Rooke, former training and practice supervisor for the National Health Service’s Blood and Transplant division, a whopping $38,729 for being compared to Darth Vader, The Guardian reported on May 7. In 2021, Rooke and her co-workers were asked to participate in a team-building exercise featuring a Star Wars-themed questionnaire that would reveal which character from the sci-fi fantasy franchise their personality most resembled. Rooke didn’t participate but found out later that co-workers had filled it out for her, and the result came up Sith Lord. Though the quiz described Vader as a “very focused individual,” Rooke called the comparison “highly unflattering” and said it made her “super unpopular” around the office, leading her to resign a month later. [The Guardian, 5/7/2025]

Taking It For the Team

In an effort to build up an immunity to the venom of lethal snakes, herpetologist Tim Friede, 57, of Wisconsin allowed himself to be bitten over 200 times and self-administered more than 650 venom injections over 18 years while steadfastly documenting the effects, The New York Times reported on May 2. Now, as described in a study published in the journal Cell last week, scientists have used the unique antibodies in Friede’s blood to create a drug that fully protected mice from the venom of 13 deadly snake species. Researchers hope Friede’s work (and blood) will lead to the creation of a universal anti-venom. “I’m really proud that I can do something in life for humanity,” Friede told the Times. [New York Times, 4/25/2025]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Categories
Fun Stuff Metaphysical Connection

Birthstones of June

Photo: Alexey Demidov | Unsplash

At The Broom Closet, we are often asked about birthstones. Finding the most fitting birthstone is not always as easy as we think it is. Each month and each zodiac are associated with multiple gemstones. Sometimes these gemstones overlap, but sometimes they do not. When trying to find a birthstone, you first need to know if you want one that reflects the month of your birth or your zodiac sign. Or both. The month of June is associated with three different birthstones and two different zodiac signs. The birthstones for June are pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite. The astrological signs of Gemini and Cancer share the month of June. 

Pearls are the only gemstones made by living creatures. Pearls are often associated with emotional balance, serenity, and purity in metaphysical traditions. They are believed to promote calmness, enhance intuition, and encourage spiritual growth. Pearls are also linked to feminine energy, love, and wisdom. 

Moonstone was named by the Roman natural historian Pliny, who wrote that moonstone’s shimmery appearance shifted with the phases of the moon. Moonstone is a stone of intuition, emotional balance, and new beginnings, often associated with feminine energy and the lunar cycles. It is believed to enhance intuition, promote emotional stability, and facilitate connection with the subconscious mind. 

A relatively modern gemstone, alexandrite was discovered in Russian emerald mines located in the Ural Mountains. Legends claim that it was discovered in 1834 on the same day that future Russian Czar Alexander II came of age; it was named to honor him. Often described as “emerald by day, ruby by night,” alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that changes color from bluish green in daylight to purplish red under incandescent light. The unlikelihood of elements combining under the right conditions makes alexandrite one of the rarest and most expensive gemstones on Earth. Alexandrite is a gemstone associated with balance and harmony, transformation, good fortune, prosperity, and spiritual growth. 

These three birthstones for the month of June share some overlapping metaphysical properties. All three stones are associated with spiritual growth, emotional balance, calmness, and intuition. These are also qualities that can benefit the two zodiac signs associated with June.

Geminis, known for their adaptability, quick wit, and intellectual curiosity, thrive in lively conversations and diverse social settings. Their birthstones complement these traits, providing balance to their airy nature. Cancers, revered for their loyalty, nurturing spirit, and deep intuition, embody creativity and emotional depth. Their birthstones enhance their best qualities while offering stability against mood swings and sensitivity.

Gemini is associated with the same gemstones as the month of June, but other birthstones for Gemini include agate, chrysoprase, citrine, emerald, and sapphire. Agate is a type of chalcedony that is often banded with different colors and patterns. It is believed to have protective and grounding properties and is said to enhance mental clarity and focus. Chrysoprase is a bright green gemstone that is said to bring abundance and prosperity to the wearer. It is also believed to enhance self-confidence and creativity, making it a popular gemstone among artists and creatives. Citrine is a gemstone that is associated with warmth, energy, vitality, and prosperity. Emerald is associated with the heart chakra and is said to bring balance and harmony to the wearer. Sapphire is said to promote wisdom and spiritual growth. 

Cancer, June’s second zodiac sign, is also associated with multiple gemstones such as ruby, carnelian, rose quartz, pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite. Ruby symbolizes love, vitality, and courage. Carnelian inspires creativity and ambition, as well as courage and confidence. And rose quartz is a gentle stone that encourages self-acceptance and empathy towards others. 

If gemstones interest you, take some time to find the ones associated with your birth month and/or your zodiac sign. Learn about those gemstones and see if you think they reflect your personality or if they could help you balance aspects of your life. Gemstones make wonderful spiritual partners when we learn to harness their energy. 

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 06/12/25

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your definition of home is due for revamping, deepening, and expansion. Your sense of where you truly belong is ripe to be adjusted and perhaps even revolutionized. A half-conscious desire you have not previously been ready to fully acknowledge is ready for you to explore. Can you handle these subtly shocking opportunities? Do you have any glimmerings about how to open yourself to the revelations that life would love to offer you about your roots, your foundations, and your prime resources? Here are your words of power: source and soul.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you have any frustrations about how you express yourself or create close connections? Are there problems in your ability to be heard and appreciated? Do you wish you could be more persuasive and influential? If so, your luck is changing. In the coming months, you will have extraordinary powers to innovate, expand, and deepen the ways you communicate. Even if you are already fairly pleased with the flow of information and energy between you and those you care for, surprising upgrades could be in the works. To launch this new phase of fostering links, affinities, and collaborations, devise fun experiments that encourage you to reach out and be reached.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’ve always had the impression that honeybees are restless wanderers, randomly hopping from flower to flower as they gradually accumulate nectar. But I recently discovered that they only meander until they find a single good fount of nourishment, whereupon they sup deeply and make a beeline back to the hive. I am advocating their approach to you in the coming weeks. Engage in exploratory missions, but don’t dawdle, and don’t sip small amounts from many different sites. Instead, be intent on finding a single source that provides the quality and quantity you want, then fulfill your quest and head back to your sanctuary.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Let’s talk about innovation. I suspect it will be your specialty in the coming weeks and months. One form that innovation takes is the generation of a new idea, approach, or product. Another kind of innovation comes through updating something that already exists. A third may emerge from finding new relationships between two or more older ways of doing things — creative recombinations that redefine the nature of the blended elements. All these styles of innovation are now ripe for you to employ.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo psychotherapist Carl Jung was halfway through his life of 85 years when he experienced the ultimate midlife crisis. Besieged by feelings of failure and psychological disarray, he began to see visions and hear voices in his head. Determined to capitalize on the chaotic but fertile opportunity, he undertook an intense period of self-examination and self-healing. He wrote in journals that were eventually published as The Red Book: Liber Novus. He emerged healthy and whole from this trying time, far wiser about his nature and his mission in life. I invite you to initiate your own period of renewal in the coming months, Leo. Consider writing your personal Red Book: Liber Novus.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, you will have chances to glide deeper than you have previously dared to go into experiences, relationships, and opportunities that are meaningful to you. How much bold curiosity will you summon as you penetrate further than ever before into the heart of the gorgeous mysteries? How wild and unpredictable will you be as you explore territory that has been off-limits? Your words of power: probe, dive down, decipher.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When traditional Japanese swordsmiths crafted a blade, they wrapped hard outer layers around a softer inner core. This strategy gave their handiwork a sharp cutting edge while also imbuing it with flexibility and a resistance to breakage. I recommend a similar approach for you, Libra. Create balance, yes, but do so through integration rather than compromise. Like the artisans of old, don’t choose between hardness and flexibility, but find ways to incorporate both. Call on your natural sense of harmony to blend opposites that complement each other.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio journalist Martha Gellhorn (1908–1998) was an excellent war correspondent. During her six decades on the job, she reported on many of the world’s major conflicts. But she initially had a problem when trying to get into France to report on D-Day, June 6, 1945. Her application for press credentials was denied, along with all those of other women journalists. Surprise! Through subterfuge and daring, Gellhorn stowed away on a hospital ship and reached France in time to report on the climactic events. I counsel you to also use extraordinary measures to achieve your goals, Scorpio. Innovative circumspection and ethical trickery are allowed. Breaking the rules may be necessary and warranted.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): My spirit guides enjoy reminding me that breakthrough insights and innovations may initially emerge not as complete solutions, but as partial answers to questions that need further exploration. I don’t always like it, but I listen anyway, when they tell me that progress typically comes through incremental steps. The Sagittarian part of my nature wants total victory and comprehensive results NOW. It would rather not wait for the slow, gradual approach to unfold its gifts. So I empathize if you are a bit frustrated by the piecemeal process you are nursing. But I’m here to say that your patience will be well rewarded.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Sometimes I’ve got to pause and relax my focused striving because that’s the only way my unconscious mind can work its magic.” My Capricorn friend Alicia says that about her creative process as a novelist. The solution to a knotty challenge may not come from redoubling her efforts but instead from making a strategic retreat into silence and emptiness. I invite you to consider a similar approach, Capricorn. Experiment with the hypothesis that significant breakthroughs will arrive when you aren’t actively seeking them. Trust in the fertile void of not-knowing. Allow life’s meandering serendipity to reveal unexpected benefits.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Are you interested in graduating to the next level of love and intimacy? If so, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to intensify your efforts. Life will be on your side if you dare to get smarter about how to make your relationships work better than they ever have. To inspire your imagination and incite you to venture into the frontiers of togetherness, I offer you a vivacious quote from author Anaïs Nin. Say it to your favorite soul friend or simply use it as a motivational prayer. Nin wrote, “You are the fever in my blood, the tide that carries me to undiscovered shores. You are my alchemist, transmuting my fears into wild, gold-spun passion. With you, my body is a poem. You are the labyrinth where I lose and find myself, the unwritten book of ecstasies that only you can read.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What deep longing of yours is both fascinating and frustrating? To describe it further: It keeps pushing you to new frontiers yet always eludes complete satisfaction. It teaches you valuable life lessons but sometimes spoofs you and confuses you. Here’s the good news about this deep longing, Pisces: You now have the power to tap into its nourishing fuel in unprecedented ways. It is ready to give you riches it has never before provided. Here’s the “bad” news: You will have to raise your levels of self-knowledge to claim all of its blessings. (And of course, that’s not really bad!) 

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 06/12/25

Rare Sight

Customers at the upscale Treehouse Studios hair salon in the Hollywood Hills had a hair-raising experience on April 26, when a coyote climbed onto the building’s roof and lapped at water that had collected in the skylight, in full view of the patrons below. Owner Travis Ogletree shared footage of the unusual encounter on TikTok, with the caption, “Just another day at the Treehouse.” USA Today noted that while it is not uncommon for coyotes to adapt to and survive in urban areas like the Hollywood Hills, it is unusual for the animals to be in populated areas during daylight.

Look Out Below

Carletta Andrews was just about to take a sip from her margarita at Patron Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Sandston, Virginia, on April 16 when something struck her on the forehead, reported WRIC 8News. “I looked at my husband like what was that,” Andrews said. “When I turned around, I saw the snake in my margarita.” The baby snake, which had fallen from the ceiling, wriggled in the glass and wrapped itself around the straw as restaurant workers attempted to remove it with a stick; finally, another customer was able to grab the snake and set it free outside. The staff offered to move Andrews to a booth, but the shaken patron chose to leave instead. The owner of the restaurant suspects the snake entered through the AC unit. But Andrews was left to wonder: “If that was the baby … is the mom there?”

Seen It All

Police in Akron, Ohio, caught body cam video of a bandit behind the wheel with a meth pipe in his mouth during a traffic stop on May 5. But Chewy, the bandit in question, did not face arrest, because Chewy is a pet raccoon. WLWT 5 reported that as the driver of the vehicle, Victoria Vidal, 55, was detained for having an active warrant and driving with a suspended license, officers returned to Vidal’s vehicle to find Chewy in the driver’s seat with the drug paraphernalia. “While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!” the Springfield Township Police Department said in a Facebook post, adding, “No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident.”

Sweet Tooth

Holly LaFavers of Lexington, Kentucky, tried to cancel an Amazon order placed by her second-grader son, Liam, over the weekend, but it was too late; when the pair arrived home on May 5, WKYT reported, Liam yelled, “My suckers are here!” and LaFavers was greeted by 22 large cases of Dum-Dums lollipops lining her front porch. Liam, who placed the order while entertaining himself with his mother’s phone, actually had ordered 30 cases — each containing 2,340 lollipops, for a total cost of more than $4,000 — but eight of the cases wouldn’t scan and were returned to sender. “He told me that he wanted to have a carnival,” LaFavers said, “and he was ordering the Dum-Dums as prizes for his carnival.” Amazon fully refunded the order, and LaFavers vowed to change the access settings on her phone.

Joyride

A stray bull in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, became an internet sensation when CCTV caught the bold bovine taking a spontaneous ride on a motorized scooter. In the video, which was posted on X and reported on by NDTV, the bull casually strolled down a street before taking an interest in a parked scooter. As a prescient mother scooped up her child and ducked out of harm’s way, the bull hopped onto the scooter with its front legs, somehow perfectly balancing the scooter and setting it in motion. The ride covered about 50 feet before the scooter fell over and the bull nonchalantly walked away. One user on X summed it up: “No one would believe if it wasn’t captured by CCTV.”

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.